After man had fallen for his position and had given the keys to the devil, God prophesied to the serpent, usathane, what would happen to him and his rulership. The devil thought in his pride that his mission, to become like God, was accomplished. Because the devil had appropriated a part of the angels of God and had become the ruler of the world and the father of mankind. Nokho, his rulership, which the devil obtained by his lies, wouldn’t last forever. Because God said in Genesis 3:15, I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head and thou shall bruise his heel. What does it mean the Seed of the woman would bruise the head of the devil and the devil shall bruise His heel?
The head of the devil
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel (Genesis 3:15)
After the fall of man from his position, man had lost his rulership to the devil. The devil had become the ruler on earth. Together with his fallen angels, the devil had the highest authority on earth. The devil had become the father of mankind. Every man would be born with his nature, since evil had entered the seed of man.
In order to secure his position, the devil did everything he could to prevent that the Seed of the woman would bruise his head.
This started with Able, who through his obedience to God and his righteous works testified that the works of his brother Cain were evil.
Cain became angry with his brother Abel and despite the warnings of God to not give in to his angriness, Cain didn’t listen to God and His words, but listened to his flesh and acted after the will of his father the devil and killed his brother Abel (Genesis 4, IsiHebheru 11:4, 1 UJohane 3:12, Jude 1:11).
Every seed that was born and walked in obedience to God, became a threat to the devil and was hated by the devil and the sons of the devil. Ngenxa yalokho, many priests and prophets were killed because of their obedience to God and their righteous works.
The devil did everything he could to prevent that the Seed, God prophesied about, would bruise his head. But despite all the devil’s attempts, the devil didn’t succeed to prevent the words of God from being fulfilled
The Seed of the woman
Since the seed of man was affected by evil and sin and death reigned in mankind, no one was able to legally take back the rulership of the devil. Ngakho-ke, God planted His Seed in the woman, the virgin Mary. So that the Seed of the woman would legally take back the rulership of the devil and restore what the devil had disrupted and destroyed.
And so the words of God became alive and Jesus, iNdodana kaNkulunkulu; iZwi eliphilayo, came in the likeness and fullness of man to the earth to bruise the head of the devil and restore what was broken and heal all things, which was affected by evil and make it whole (Luka 1:35, UJohane 1:1-18; UJohane 3:16, AmaRoma 8:3. 1 UThimothewu 3:16, IsiHebheru 2:14, 1 UPetru 3:18, 1 UJohane 4:2).
Jesus was a Witness of God and walked in obedience to God in the power of the Holy Spirit and made everything that was affected by evil whole.
The devil did everything in his power to defile this Seed with evil. The devil tried to tempt and seduce Jesus by His lies. But because of Jesus’ obedience to the will of the Father and didn’t listen to His flesh the devil could not tempt Jesus to sin.
Jude lifted up his heel against Jesus
I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me (UJohane 13:18)
Although the devil couldn’t tempt Jesus ukona, the devil finally found a way to get rid of Jesus and prevent his head from being bruised.
The heart of one of Jesus’ disciples was not fully devoted to Him.
There was one love in the life of this disciple that was greater than his love for God and Jesus and that was his love for money.
And so the devil could enter the heart of this disciple and accomplish his plan.
The name of this disciple was, kunjalo, Judas Iscariot, who was also a thief and had the (imali) bag (UJohane 12:6; UJohane 13:29).
For thirty pieces of silver Judas lifted up his heel against Jesus. Judas betrayed and delivered Jesus into the hands of the priests. Jesus was taken captive, interrogated, chastised, and eventually crucified.
The devil thought his plan succeeded and that he wiped out the footprints of Jesus. In other words, he bruised the heel of Jesus by crucifying Him.
The heel of Jesus bruised
Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. Kodwa walinyazwa ngenxa yeziphambeko zethu, Yachotshozwa ngobubi bethu: isijeziso sokuthula kwethu sasiphezu kwakhe; nangemivimbo yaKhe siphilisiwe (Isaya 53:5).
Nokho kwaba kuhle eNkosini ukumchoboza (Isaya 53:10).
God didn’t stop the sufferings and the way of death of Jesus Christ.
God had foretold this many times by Himself and by the mouths of His prophets. Ngakho-ke, the heel of Jesus had to be bruised (Funda futhi: ‘The sufferings and mockery of Jesus Christ‘ futhi ‘Incazelo yangempela yesiphambano’).
Through the chastisements and crucifixion of the flesh, God could lay the iniquities and sins of the world upon Jesus and Jesus was sacrificed as Lamb of God for mankind (UJohane 1:29, 36).
Ngenxa yeqiniso, that Jesus carried the sins and iniquities of mankind, Jesus was able to enter Hades legally and stayed in Hades for three days.
The head of the devil bruised
Futhi esonakalisa izikhulu namandla, Wababukisa obala, enqoba phezu kwabo kuwo (AbaseKolose 2:15)
But the death was not strong enough to keep Jesus in Hades. Because after three days, Jesus rose from the dead as Victor, ngamandla kaMoya oNgcwele (Mathewu 12:40, Maka 14:58, UJohane 2:19, AmaRoma 10:7, amaHebheru 2:7-18, Kwabase-Efesu 4:9).
When the devil bruised the heel of Jesus by his seed, Jesus was able to accomplish His mission and so the Seed of the woman, uJesu, bruised the head of the devil.
Jesus the loyal Witness of God and the Firstborn of the death had overcome death and had legally taken back the keys of hell and death (AbaseKolose 1:18, Amahubo 89:28, IsAmbulo 1:5).
Jesus had bruised the head of the devil and had deprived the strong of his power.
‘Yibani usawoti womhlaba’
